Some things I miss, and others I don't about the UK

[Sistema1927]

I never had an accent, but I miss my Mother's beautiful Essex tongue now that she has been gone seven years. We were recently passing through Heathrow, and there were two ladies chatting in the chairs across from us. I asked "Essex?" and soon discovered that they lived within 10 miles of my Mom's home town.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Mom (90) still has her accent. She is a Scouser.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

It would seem the UK has become Airstrip One. I have seen hats and t-shirts that read "Make Orwell Fiction Again"

 

[LVSteve]

I never had an accent, but I miss my Mother's beautiful Essex tongue now that she has been gone seven years. We were recently passing through Heathrow, and there were two ladies chatting in the chairs across from us. I asked "Essex?" and soon discovered that they lived within 10 miles of my Mom's home town.

Rural Essex or one of the south Essex towns?

 

[swsig]

You mean about the Americans "overpaid, over sexed and
over here."

The American retort: "Brits are underpaid, undersexed, and under Eisenhower."

 

[rwsmith]

The last Shepherd's Pie I had.........

.... Was WAY too peppery.

I had to eat underneath the top like a dugout. My wife said, "Why didn't you eat your Shepherd's Pie. I said, "I DID.", and pushed down on the top and it sunk to the bottom of the bowl.

 

[UncleEd]

Shepherd's Pie, is that a British brand of dog food?

 

[Rustyt1953]

I like Shepherd's Pie.

 

[oldbrownhat]

I never had an accent, but I miss my Mother's beautiful Essex tongue now that she has been gone seven years. We were recently passing through Heathrow, and there were two ladies chatting in the chairs across from us. I asked "Essex?" and soon discovered that they lived within 10 miles of my Mom's home town.

A century or so ago, before the Beeb started pushing standardized RP (Received Pronunciation) to the plebs via the newfangled wireless, people from towns 10 miles apart might well have subtly different accents that would allow them to identify which town they came from.

There was a celebrated murder case in the Newcastle area many years ago where the murderer taunted the police with a cassette recording. Eventually they brought in a linguist who knew the area extremely well and was able to tell where the murdere came from to within a couple of blocks.

 

[charlie sherrill]

I'd love to go there, but it probably won't happen because of my age and finances. My family on my dad's side hail from Wales and originally came from a place called Shire Well that later morphed into Sherrill. I found a relative named William Sherrill who was headed to work the cane fields of Barbados as an inmate (or slave, the English weren't very kind back then) of some sort. The ship he was on hit the rocks off of New York. He swam ashore and we've been here ever since. My Grandmother was German (Schankael) which later morphed to Shankle. If they start giving out reparations I want mine.

 

[oldbrownhat]

Shepherd's Pie, is that a British brand of dog food?

Aye. They would grind up an old shepherd, cook 'im, and feed to British bulldogs. Thanks to Maggie Thatcher, The Act for the Preservation and Protection of Super-Annuated Shepherds (aka APPSAS, 1984) put an end to it, alas.

But seriously, folks...

How to cook the perfect shepherd’s pie

 

[Rustyt1953]

A lovely place to have grown up in.

 

[raljr1]

Our son just finished a vacation to Scotland that included a week on a tall ship. After a few days in Scotland, he said, "I could live here." My ancestors are from Edinburgh.

 

[oldbrownhat]

A lovely place to have grown up in.

I had a slightly eccentric (ie normal English type) recording engineer friend who lived just across the border in Harleston, Norfolk. Lovely area. Closest I got to Aldeburgh was the Sutton Hoo burial site at Woodbridge. Fabulous.

 

[Sistema1927]

Rural Essex or one of the south Essex towns?

Brentwood, in South Essex. The two ladies we spoke with were from Ongar.

 

[LVSteve]

Brentwood, in South Essex. The two ladies we spoke with were from Ongar.

Ah yes. I once heard the South Essex accent described by a British linguist, rather uncharitably, as the Brentwood Whine.

 

[Dave_n]

Coming from South Essex just between Grays and Tilbury, I avoided being a cockney as the wind was not strong enough from the West so could not hear Bow Bells when I was born. Made up for it much later as I was at Queen Mary College, in East London but still North of the Thames!!!part of the University of London (before all of the tech colleges became "universities!!!!") and migrated West in 1968 as a post-doc, married a girl from the "hills of North Georgia" and remained. Mind you, the most difficult linguistic part of my time here was convincing my wife (now of 54 years today) that "damnyankee" was not one word, Dave_n

 

[Sistema1927]

Ah yes. I once heard the South Essex accent described by a British linguist, rather uncharitably, as the Brentwood Whine.

That may be true for some, but to me, her voice was the most melodious I have ever heard. It was the sound of love, of home, of security. What I wouldn't give to hear her one more time.

 

[rickyt]

Believe me guy's , there's nothing good about the UK. High taxes, fuel ,beer and just about everything else. Not to mention the immigrants crossing the channel in there thousands. We have no where to house them , costing the country millions of pounds to put them up in hotels. Were all virtually being forced to buy electric cars as the sale of new petrol/diesels will end at the end of the decade. Fuel prices now are going through the roof. The UK is a $hit hole...pardon my French. Wish I could get out , live somewhere in the wilderness of the USA like grizzly Adams in a log cabin. I wish !

 

[TheHobbyist]

My goodness, let's try to stay positive. Here's breakfast over Loch Ness recently...peaceful, scenic, calm...friendly people.